Window-blind



(No Model.\

B. S. LATHROP.

WINDOW BLIND.

Patented June 29,1897.

EDYVARD S. LATI-IROP, OF DECATUR, GEORGIA.

WINDOW-BLIND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 585,273, dated June 29, 1897. Application filed October 8, 1896. Serial No. 608,269. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD S. LATHROP, a citizen of the United States, residing at De catur, in the county of De Kalb and State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in VVindow-Blinds, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of window-blinds which fold up or close up into a small space when not in use; and the object of my invention is to make a neat, serviceable, and effective blind which will shut out light and heat as well as dust when expanded, and when not in use will shut up in itself and occupy a very small space. I obtain these results by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figures 1, 2, and 3 are detail views of a part of my device; Figs. land 5, front views of the whole, showing the blind shut and opened; and Figs. 6 and 7, detail top views corresponding to Figs. at and 5.

In construction my blind is opened and shut by means of the lazy-tongs principle. A frame is constructed of a pair of lazy-tongs x 00 with a number of vertical strips attached to them in such a manner that when the tongs are spread open the strips will be at an even distance apart, and when shut up the strips will be close together, so as to occupy but little space. To these strips the slats forming the blinds are attached by suitable hinges at the edges.

In Fig. 3 the construction of the frame is shown as open or spread out. In Fig. 2 the frame is shown as shut up. Fig. 1 is an end view showing the double strips placed at each end of the frame. In these views, for convenience of explanation, the slats are not shown attached to the strips. At each end of the frame are strips A A. These are pivoted to the top and bottom of the lazy-ton gs at a a, while the inner ends of the tongs are provided with pins which Work in slots 17 I), made in the strips A A. One of the strips A is attached in a suitable manner to the casing of the window, according to which side of the windowit is desired to operate the blind from. The strips B B are constructed with slots at c c, and the center pins of the lazy-tongs are extended so as to work in these slots. The strips 0 O are pivoted to the upper and lower joints of thelazy-tongs, respectively, at f f by the same pins that are used in the tongs, and require no slots. It will be seen by this arrangement the top and bottom of the whole frame are always on the same horizontal line, whether spread out or closed up. For the sake of strength I double the strips A A on the outside of the fame, as shown in Fig. 1. The other strips are single. The slats D D are hinged to the edges of the strips at e e. In this case it is supposed that the strip A on the left of the frame is attached to the window-casing, and the slats are shown hinged to the righthand edge of the strips. In Fig. 5 these slats are shown flattened against the frame which is spread out, and they lap each other, as shown in the detail top view, Fig. 7. Fig. 4 shows the frame closed up and the position of the slats, which is also shown in the corresponding detail top view, Fig. 6. The right-hand strip A has no slat attached, as shown in Fig. 6, as the slat next to it laps it and completes the shutter.

The cord F, which operates to flatten the slats against the frame when the latter is spread, is attached at each end to the outside strips A A. It is just the right length to be taut when the frame is spread out to the required distance. It passes under each slat respectively and through an eyelet g on the right side of the slat about the middle of the same, as shown in Fig. 6, and when the frame is spread out this cord is pulled taut and draws the slats tight against the frame and each other, as shown in Fig. 7. It will be seen that from this arrangement no slack cord is left when the frame is folded up.

Having described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is A window-blind consisting of a frame capable of being expanded and shut up composed of two sets of lazy-tongs m, or, vertical strips A, A pivoted to the same at a, a, and slotted at b, b, the strips A, A forming the outside stanchions of the frame, and intermediate strips C, O, pivoted to the lazy-tongs respectively at f, f, and strips B, B, slotted at c, c, slats D, D, hinged to one strip A and to the intermediate strips 0, O and B, B, and provided with a cord F, attached to the outside strips A, A, at each end and passing under each slat and through an eyelet g, placed on each slat in such a position that the slack 0f the cord is taken up when the frame is shut up, said cord operating. to close up the slats when the frame is expanded, by being IO drawn taut, as herein described.

E. S. LATHROP.

Witnesses:

JNO. H. AKERS, Tnos. F. OORRIGAN. 

